What
Common Green Darner (Anax junius)Observer
sarahaDescription
Found in parking lot after 100+ degree day. Picked up and moved away from path of tires, one leg kept bent under body.
What
Banded Alder Borer (Rosalia funebris)Observer
sarahaDescription
Used hand as a reference, found on the side of a building with a 3-d mural of a tree on it(looks real, maybe bug thought so too?) next to busy sidewalk downtown.
Photos / Sounds
What
Great Purple Hairstreak (Atlides halesus)Observer
sarahaDescription
Found dead on the pavement outside apartment complex. I’m no professional at all but I tried to bend the wings open the best I could to show more detail.
Photos / Sounds
What
Genus ProtolophusObserver
sarahaDescription
While taking out the garbage bins I noticed this big guy crawling out of a dark space within the bin's handle. It was about 1" in diameter and, after the photos were taken, released into a woodpile. It calmed down enough for photos after being held and allowed a dark and smaller confined space. Very docile.
What
Underwing Moths (Genus Catocala)Observer
sarahaDescription
This fellow was found in leaf litter near a Pistache tree and Japanese Elm tree. When touched it violently curves itself into the horseshoe shape pictured. I was unable to find a suitable match for this caterpillar on my own. Hard to see but along the underside at the division of dark and light coloring there are tiny white hairs only long enough to barely scrape the floor. They appear to be more of a cuticle material than a hair. There is also a set of horns on the backside which are the only apparent spines.
What
Underwing Moths (Genus Catocala)Observer
sarahaDescription
This fellow was found in leaf litter near a Pistache tree and Japanese Elm tree. When touched it violently curves itself into the horseshoe shape pictured. I was unable to find a suitable match for this caterpillar on my own. Hard to see but along the underside at the division of dark and light coloring there are tiny white hairs only long enough to barely scrape the floor. They appear to be more of a cuticle material than a hair. There is also a set of horns on the backside which are the only apparent spines.
What
Underwing Moths (Genus Catocala)Observer
sarahaDescription
This fellow was found in leaf litter near a Pistache tree and Japanese Elm tree. When touched it violently curves itself into the horseshoe shape pictured. I was unable to find a suitable match for this caterpillar on my own. Hard to see but along the underside at the division of dark and light coloring there are tiny white hairs only long enough to barely scrape the floor. They appear to be more of a cuticle material than a hair. There is also a set of horns on the backside which are the only apparent spines.
What
Butterflies and Moths (Order Lepidoptera)Observer
sarahaDescription
This fellow was found in leaf litter near a Pistache tree and Japanese Elm tree. When touched it violently curves itself into the horseshoe shape pictured. I was unable to find a suitable match for this caterpillar on my own. Hard to see but along the underside at the division of dark and light coloring there are tiny white hairs only long enough to barely scrape the floor. They appear to be more of a cuticle material than a hair. There is also a set of horns on the backside which are the only apparent spines.
What
Underwing Moths (Genus Catocala)Observer
sarahaDescription
This fellow was found in leaf litter near a Pistache tree and Japanese Elm tree. When touched it violently curves itself into the horseshoe shape pictured. I was unable to find a suitable match for this caterpillar on my own. Hard to see but along the underside at the division of dark and light coloring there are tiny white hairs only long enough to barely scrape the floor. They appear to be more of a cuticle material than a hair. There is also a set of horns on the backside which are the only apparent spines.
What
Cluster Flies (Genus Pollenia)Observer
sarahaDescription
I found this guy on the underside of a piece of wood stuck in an abandoned web. It was a weird coincidence that I was able to detach it and have this fly hang out on my hand until it flew away.
What
Cobweb Spiders (Family Theridiidae)Observer
sarahaDescription
So, I have been finding a bunch of tangle web around the garbage cans and I finally found her eating this woodlouse. I dropped my camera case on the ground near her web and I guess she had strands on the ground because she immediately hid afterwards.
Photos / Sounds
What
Western Lynx Spider (Oxyopes scalaris)Observer
sarahaDescription
I found this spider on a piece of cut lemon branch. It was protective of the egg sac beneath it so I think she is a she and the mother. Body length was about 2mm .
Photos / Sounds
What
Barn Funnel Weaver (Tegenaria domestica)Observer
sarahaDescription
This large spider was found in a wood pile under a large log. The spider was about the size of a half dollar coin including its legs. It appears to have 6 eyes and circle patterns on its abdomen. It was also very cooperative in letting me take about 20 pictures of it from different angles trying to get a shot of its face.
What
Spiders (Order Araneae)Observer
sarahaDescription
I found this skin in a very strong tangle web which was on the handle of a yard waste container. As I pulled the skin out the web made that distinct crinkle noise so I think this could be the skin of a black widow but I am not sure.
What
Spiders (Order Araneae)Observer
sarahaDescription
I found this skin in a very strong tangle web which was on the handle of a yard waste container. As I pulled the skin out the web made that distinct crinkle noise so I think this could be the skin of a black widow but I am not sure.
What
Cutworm Moths and Allies (Family Noctuidae)Observer
sarahaDescription
This little chub was found in a leaf pile. I have always had trouble identifying caterpillars but from what this guy looked like and how frequently I have found their cocoons around the yard I think this is an okay guess.
Photos / Sounds
What
Typical Spiders (Suborder Araneomorphae)Observer
sarahaDescription
This spider was also found in my basement trying to make a web around a shoebox. Her pedipalps are directly below her and are spaced very close together and are also quite small and thin. The build and positioning of her legs is like that of a black widow with long and tapered legs. Her carapace is a light reddish brown and darkens to a deep brown at the tip of her carapace where her eyes are. Her posterior eye row is arranged in a close together linear row on the top of her head. Her chelicera are almost black they are such a dark brown and they are also small and held very close to her body. Her legs are almost translucent reddish brown with lighter colors at the joints. Her abdomen has an interesting pattern best described by just looking at the pictures. Her entire body would on a quarter with her legs held normally and while recording this observation she was busily working on her web in the enclosure I had her in.
Photos / Sounds
What
Zoosection Rta cladeObserver
sarahaDescription
This spider has been living in my basement for a few days and I was finally able to get a good look at her. She is large, measuring about 2 cm from stretched out from front foot to back foot. She moves fairly steadily, she will jog a few steps if she is agitated but is very content just sitting still. She was cooperative when I was photographing her and fairly easy to capture. Her eyes are positioned, from what I can see, with her posterior lateral eyes set the farthest back on her carapace and are wide set. Her posterior median eyes are set atop her carapace, which make it look like they are at the tip of her head, set like an alligator's eyes, but facing forwards. Her anterior eye row is set in a compact straight line directly below her posterior median eye and these eyes are all uniformly the smallest of her eyes. She appears to have a chevron pattern on her abdomen with a faint tapering heart mark stretching halfway down her abdomen. She has large, wideset pedipalps which extend to and rest on the ground directly below her chelicera, which are also broad. Her coloration is a combination of browns and her legs extend in a long taper. She positions her body and legs like that of the male Castianeira thalia. Spinnerets are not evident and there are no notable markings on her underside. She has faint alternating dark and light brown stripes on her legs. I could not tell if she has two clawed or three clawed tarsus. The area where her thorax and abdomen meet is very broad. Also, this spider is a thrill seeker as when I was holding the container open over my computer to better see her markings she jumped onto my keyboard and landed with a startling thump. I set her free into my backyard after taking photographs.
Photos / Sounds
What
Typical Funnel Weavers (Subfamily Ageleninae)Observer
sarahaDescription
I found this spider in a flower pot with a colony of ants. The spider appeared to be trying to avoid the ants and was constantly being climbed on. In the pot also were 7 snails of varying sizes. The spider was moved to a different plant because the pot was to be emptied, and when i picked up the spider there were at least 6 ants still holding onto the spider. The ants would bite only the spider's foot and could not be removed by the spider. The spider was moved to a different plant without ants, climbed under a leaf and stayed there.
Photos / Sounds
What
Funnel Weavers (Family Agelenidae)Observer
sarahaDescription
This spider was found laying with legs 1 and 2 close together in the front and legs 3 and 4 in the back in the corner of the door frame of my house. There was some webbing although i didn't get a photo of it. The web was moderately small(2-3 cm in length) and was not very thick. The spider was moved using the tupperware container shown to the deck railing. Once there, the spider quickly started to spin a web under the railing. It appeared to have 4 parts to its spinnerets. This spider was about 2 cm in body length and is compared to the bottom of the tub, which was about 8 cm on all sides. The weather was cold and the spider moved slowly and when i went to check on the spiders location later in the day hen it was warmer, it was gone.
What
Wing-tapping Cicadas (Genus Platypedia)Observer
sarahaDescription
This exoskeleton was found on the ground of the redwood forest undergrowth. It was small and orange and completely hollow, it was easily picked up by the wind.
What
Camel Crickets, Cave Crickets, and Cave Wēta (Family Rhaphidophoridae)Observer
sarahaDescription
Found jumping in the redwood undergrowth area, about .4 centimeters in body length with long antennas and back legs. There were many other similar looking insects found in the area.
What
Typical Funnel Weavers (Subfamily Ageleninae)Observer
sarahaDescription
Two small spiders found on a sheet web 12 centimeters in length. Both spiders were the same type and the same size, about .3 centimeters in body length. There are many other sheet webs found in the same area with the same spiders on the webs.
What
Common Lichens (Class Lecanoromycetes)Observer
sarahaDescription
Found on ground in undergrowth of redwood forest. There were many other small patches of the same lichen found within a 2 meter radius. It was about 2 centimeters long.
What
Typical Funnel Weavers (Subfamily Ageleninae)Observer
sarahaDescription
Found in depression in ground made from burnt redwood tree. Spider web was about 1 foot in diameter.
What
Western Forest Scorpion (Uroctonus mordax)Observer
sarahaDescription
Scorpion found under a piece of burnt wood. There were no other scorpions found within a meter radius.
What
Fungi Including Lichens (Kingdom Fungi)Observer
sarahaDescription
Evidence of fungi found under bark of small fallen tree. Covers area about 7 centimeters in length. Evidence of same fungi found throughout tree.
What
California Bay (Umbellularia californica)Observer
sarahaDescription
The bay laurel was found in the redwood underbrush. The plant appears to have bite marks on all of its leaves. It is about 7 inches tall and there are other bays seen within 5 meters away.
What
Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens)Observer
sarahaDescription
Two young redwoods found in undergrowth of redwood forest. There was a small amount of sunlight available and the trees were only about 2 feet tall.
What
Common Lichens (Class Lecanoromycetes)Observer
sarahaDescription
Found on fallen tree. Small patches found scarcely around tree. Looked bubbly, only about 7 centimeters long. Found in undergrowth of oak woodland